


A Certain Magical Occurrence

by LighteningDancer



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: AU, Cute, Drama, Flower shop owner roxas, M/M, Magic, Prince Axel, confused!Evil!kairi, then cute, then sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-17
Updated: 2014-01-24
Packaged: 2018-01-09 01:12:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1139678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LighteningDancer/pseuds/LighteningDancer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is something that people never teach you; love does not always go the way that it does in fairy tales. </p>
<p>They just assume that you know that it does not always begin when you want it to, or with whom you want it to. It can start in an instant, and be torn away just as fast.</p>
<p>This is their story, and though it is no fairy tale, they would treasure every moment they had together.</p>
<p>AkuRoku</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Falling

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I hope to update this fic once every other day until it is completed, which shouldn’t take long. I only have about three chapters planned.   
> Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, only the plot bunny that lodged itself in my head.

Prince Axel was bored, which was never a good thing. As he looked around the expansive throne room nothing of importance was able to catch his eye. Both his mother and father were sitting to his left seemingly engrossed in listening to what the commoner bowing in front of them was saying. If the Prince remembered correctly the older gentleman was accusing his neighbor of selling him sick livestock and was looking for the King and Queen to deploy justice onto the ‘wrongdoer’.

The man continued speaking as Axel examined his parents, for he truly had nothing better to do. To him it quickly, if not instantly, became apparent that his parents were barely listening though someone who was not as versed in their body language would never have guessed it. His mother’s shoulders held the slightest bit of a slope to them, not at all as rigged as when she had taken up her mantle several hours before. The slightly graying woman’s eyes also seemed a bit glassy and a hint unfocused. Axel could only see his father’s face, his mother’s smaller frame blocking the rest of the Kings body from his view, yet from what Axel could see even he looked tired, the lines around his eyes seemingly more apparent than they had been this morning.

This however was a common occurrence; it was the same every Saturday. On that day of the week the King and Queen would open the court for the day to allow the people to bring forth their problems and concerns. It had been that way for centuries and it seemed like the tradition would be there to stay for as long as Axel’s parents were on the throne. Ever since he had started attending such meetings when he was thirteen Axel always secretly envisioned getting rid of the weekly annoyance when he was crowned. Of course this was a silly thought; he knew how much these meetings meant to his people.

Soon enough the man who was accusing his neighbor of ‘selling faulty merchandise’ was compensated, his father making it so that his animals would receive the proper medicine and care in order to make them well once more. The older man was not completely satisfied if the look on his face said anything, but he bowed once more towards the three royals and proceeded to leave the throne room.

“The next grievance shall be the last that we will have time for today. If you were not able to be helped today please see one of the guards on the way out. They will give you a slip that will allow you to be one of the first to be seen at next week’s hearing.” The King stated, his voice resounding throughout the giant hall. The King was a stickler for the rules and the royal doctrine, something he had been trying to instill into his son for as long as Axel could remember. In the Kings mind the Kingdom would do well and prosper if they simply followed the laws that were set out by those that came before them, and so he followed these laws down to the letter, even those stating by what time they had to have completed the last of the weekly hearings.

Many of the people filed out, knowing that they would not be heard that day they had no interest in staying. Three boys however remained, two with blonde hair, one with brown, and all with startling blue eyes. Prince Axel paid them almost no attention, though what he did think of them was not positive in the least. These were the last people here, the only people standing between him and freedom from the chair in which he had been sitting in for many more hours than he care to admit.

“Please state your names and the reason for you appearing before us today.” The Queen questioned gently. The Queen may have been fair in looks and in health, but she was strong in mind and will. And the one thing that she valued above all was being looked highly upon by those around her. Thus her clothes were always made of the finest fabrics and she wore the most glittering of jewels. Her will and mind were always on one thing, how she would make herself even more popular with the people, and she found the way to do that was to play the kind benevolent Queen.

The tallest of the blondes stepped forward and bowed to the King and Queen before he began to speak. “My name is Cloud Strife and these are my brothers Sora and Roxas.” He started gesturing first to the brown haired youth on his left and then to the blonde haired boy on his right. “Several weeks ago our parents passed away due to an illness. They ran a small flower shop in the village and in their will they passed that shop onto us, however there have been complications. A man came to our home around three days after we had their memorial service claiming that our parents were in debt to him and he planned on collecting the next day.”

“And so you want this man to give you more time to make what your family owes him?” The Queen asked, sounding genuinely concerned and caring. Axel didn’t even care if it was most likely an act at that point, he just wanted them to say yes so he could spend time with his friend who was visiting the Kingdom for the summer.

“That is not what we are asking unfortunately Your Highness. We have gone through all of our parents records many times, and though they were meticulous in keeping their finances logged we can find no hint that there is any truth behind this man’s claim. When we told him such he gave us an unreasonable fee on top of what we supposedly owed him, making the payment impossible for any who is not of the higher classes. When we were not able to pay by yesterday’s deadline he threatened to force my brothers into indentured servitude, saying that he would come collect them three days from now.”

“Now that does seem to be highly suspicious.” The King said looking at the three boys before him. The brunette boy did indeed look truly distressed, though the two blondes however seemed to be slightly more sure footed than their brother. “My son what do you think of the matter?” He asked as he turned to look at the red haired Prince.  
The Prince was snapped out of his daze at the sound of his father’s voice addressing him. Thankfully some part of his mind had in fact been paying attention to what had been happening around him. After weighing his options for a moment he squared his shoulders and spoke to those listening to him, hoping that he had made a decision that would satisfy everyone and allow him to leave.

“We should send some trusted accountants to look at their financial records. If they are in fact being truthful, which seems to be the case, there should be no discrepancies in their parents records. In such an event we would have guards locate the man who claims to have a debt that needs to be settled so he can not disturb them anymore. And in the case that they are lying they were still willing to come and ask for the help of the Crown. For that we should give them a loan so they can pay that man, and allow them to pay it back to the Crown as they can. I believe you once said father “A man forced into servitude will never work as well for his master, than he would work for himself as a free man.” As such we should allow them to make their own way in the world, no matter what their parents left for them to carry on their shoulders.”

The room was silent for a moment and Prince Axel became worried that he had said the wrong thing. He had been almost sure that his solution would appease his Fathers pride and be fair to those involved, at least enough so to be able to keep this claim from dragging on for too long. Just as he was about to open his mouth again to ask his Father for his opinion his father let out a loud joyous laugh. The Queens tinkling laughter soon joined his, leaving the siblings and the Prince to slightly gap at the two.  
“That is a most wonderful solution my son! I believe that would solve your problems quite well! Are you not glad to know that such a wise young man will be your sovereign one day?” The King declared, first turning to his son and then back to those standing before him. 

The young brown haired boy, whose name Axel was certain starts with an S, was smiling with a grin that could put many of the twinkling stars to shame. He looked purely ecstatic. It was also the first time Prince Axel saw true emotions pass over the two blonde’s faces, considering slight grimaces were highly suggestive of one’s true emotions. Hell Axel hid his feelings behind grimaces all the time. But no, these were not such looks. The eldest boy looked relieved and overjoyed, almost as if he was scared that Axel would have sent them all straight to the gallows. The small grin that was covering his face was not as shinning as his brunette brothers but it held in it the same amount of gratitude.  
The younger blonde is the one that kept the Princes attention. They boy simply looked stunned. It was as if someone had hit him with a hammer and he was stuck in a state of shock from the action. His mouth was slightly open and his eyes were wide. But his shoulders too sagged with relief and Axel had not even noticed how tense he must have been before that moment, as his whole body seemed to deflate as he relaxed.

“We are most grateful. He will be a wise and benevolent King, as you are Your Grace.” Cloud replied as he bowed before the King, his two brothers following suit like puppets. The one- Sora- Axel finally recalled, was all bounce as he fell into the bow. The other boy, Roxas whose name he had never seemed to have forgotten, bowed as if he were made of wood, all stiff and sharp angles.

“I agree.” The Queen said as she grabbed her husband’s hand. Together they rose from their thrones and the Queen spoke once more. “The court is officially closed for today. All other questions and concerns will be addressed one week from today.”

And that was the cue that the remaining people who had lingered on were free to go on their ways as they pleased. And as interested as Axel was in the small blonde, Roxas he reminded himself, he was more concerned with leaving the stifling walls he had been trapped in all day. With that he hurriedly left the room, not once bothering to look back at the blue eyes that followed him.

He never would have guessed in a million years that his eyes would meet those azure pools of blue ever again. But then it should be said that Prince Axel had never been good at guessing.

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The summer sun was shining brightly down on the flower field that lay just on the outskirts of town and right near the castle walls. It seemed to be almost too bright, if Prince Axel was to be honest with himself. Unfortunately his friend and fellow prince, Demyx had to return to his kingdom a full two weeks earlier than they had planned. One of the Dukes of his Kingdom had gotten ill and died, and as per protocol Demyx had to attend the funeral. Thus Axel was left alone, and it was far too sunny for someone who was in such a foul mood.

He had luckily been able to convince his tutor that he would get no reading done inside, insisting he could focus better if he was at least outside in the gardens. After a small amount of poking and prodding Axel was able to get the straight laced man to agree to let him continue his lessons outside. He had hurriedly gathered his books, putting all but one back on a shelf much to his tutors’ annoyance, and rushed outside. He was able to easily sneak past the guards, especially since the one at the main gate was the one that was always playing cards, even when he was by himself.

Too soon he realized that the castle had been stifling and the outdoors was too free, too full of the promise of a fun summer that was not to be. And so Axel sat there for minutes on end not even bothering to read, just leaning lightly against the outside of the castle walls. He may have even dosed off a few times before a soft voice reached his ears.

“Um… hello?”

At those words Axels eyes snapped open, he had not even truly been aware when they had fluttered closed. His eyes searched for a moment before landing on the person standing before him. It took him a moment to place the face, but he quickly pieced together that the boy standing in front of him was the one he had placed judgment on the previous week. The younger one with the facial expressions that confused him greatly.

“Hello to yourself.” Axel responded offhandedly, and honestly quite rudely, while he was straightening from the slouched position he had slipped into. He reached around to massage the back of his neck. Where did that crick come from?

“I just wanted to thank you is all.” The boy, Roxas his brain once more supplied, said in a tone that was far less friendly then the one that had awoken the Prince. “You can go back to napping, or whatever.”

The boy turned to walk away before Axel had even noticed the foul tone he had used to address Roxas. Today was just not going his way at all it seemed.

And then for some unknown reason Axel said something he never thought he would. “Wait. I’m sorry, I was rude.” Later Axel would attribute it to having had an off day. It was a mixture of all the things that had led him sitting alone in a field, instead of surrounded by the others that resided in the Castle. In a sense, though he would never admit it out loud, he was lonely. And he had just insulted the only person he had seen for what seemed like hours.

That act however caused the boy to pause in his exit in fact his whole body seemed to go rigid. He turned around slowly and pure blue met bright green. There was a question in his gaze, though Axel could not figure out what it was. What was it that the boy was looking for the answer to? The look disappeared as quickly as it came and the boy looked away from the Prince once more.

“You don’t have to say such things to save face you know; I won’t tell anyone that the almighty Prince Axel got angry with me. Hell, you probably wouldn’t care even if I did say something.” The blond said flippantly, more than ready to start his return to the village and his home.

“What do you mean by that? And what is with your tone anyway?” Axel questioned. Was it fair to say that he was intrigued by the boy in front of him? Yes. In fact Axel was slowly growing more and more interested in the enigma in front of him that jumped from one emotion to the next as fast as he could blink.

Roxas was, in a word, refreshing to Axel.

“Oh don’t act like you don’t know your highness.” The boy said not even bothering to look back at the young boy still situated against the wall.

“Obviously I don’t if I have to ask you.” Axel responded getting worked up at the blonde’s lack of reaction. He hadn’t even looked at him! When was the last time someone had talked to Axel without looking at him? He couldn’t remember.

This time Roxas did look around his gaze as questioning as his words. “You have never heard tales of the ‘Bad Boy Prince Axel’?” 

Those had not been the words that Axel had expected to spill out of the mouth of the young boy before him. Had he done some slightly outrageous things? Well yes but so, one could argue, has everyone. Especially as they were growing up. How had he managed to be labeled the Bad Boy Prince of all things?

And he made that opinion clear. “Bad Boy Prince? Is that what they call me? Not ‘Axel the Dashing’ or ‘The Prince of Swooning Maidens”? I would even accept the clichéd “Prince Charming”! Who came up with such a thing? And how?” He inquired while cracking a wide smile. It was kind of funny after all. Him. The Bad Boy Prince. It was almost laughable considering some of the other Princes he had come in contact with over the years.

At this Roxas sighed. “I don’t know who comes up with these things I just know what I hear.”

“And you hear that I am some kind of wild Bad Boy Prince?” Axel asked leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees and raising one of his hands to support his head as he tilted it to the side. 

Roxas wasted no time before responding. “Well yes, that is what the rumors about you do suggest. Did you really hide a third of the armories swords in the backs of their wardrobes?”

“Guilty as charged.” A look of confusion passed over Axels features. “I do wonder how that one got around though, most knights are far too proud to ever admit to getting pranked in such a manner.”

Roxas shrugged. “It was the maids. My brothers friend Kairi works in the castle and all of the ladies were gossiping about it in the town square. Apparently they threw quite the fuss, those knights of yours.” And then it seemed as if it suddenly struck Roxas what he had just said. “But you didn’t hear that from me, and I never said the name Kairi in relation to those rumors. She has nothing to do with it at all.”

“Don’t worry about it Blondie. Now why don’t you just sit down already and tell me what other stories are running through the streets. I bet you don’t even know any of the good ones.” The Prince said while smirking.

“I- I couldn’t sit down. In fact you should be standing! I shouldn’t be looking down at you! It’s-it’s not right!” Roxas retorted indignantly. The conversation had been going so smoothly recently he had almost forgotten he was talking to royalty! He needed to be more respectful, especially to the man who had helped save his family’s business.  
“Don’t get all caught up in our social standings now Blondie. I want to hear more about myself.” The red haired Prince paused for a second before continuing. “Wow that sounds really narcissistic.” 

“Just a touch.” The other boy replied, before slowly, finally, turning all the way around and meeting the other boys’ eyes once more. The blonde let out a heavy sigh before cautiously sitting down across from Axel. They were a good two feet apart, but being on the same level height wise made all of the difference in the world it seemed.  
“So what else has been said about me?” Axel questioned again after a small silence that for all intents and purposes should have been awkward, but for unfathomable reasons it was not.

“The question is what is it that you haven’t done? Did you really call a visiting dignitaries daughter a pig?” Roxas inquired, genuinely interested. He had always wondered how far these tales had been stretched as they passed through the grape vine. Now he had access to first-hand knowledge and he was captivated by the idea of finding out the truth.  
“Now that one is a lie.” Axel replied a large grin in place. “I told her that her face could make gown men weep in terror. And that her manners left so much to be desired she may as well have been a babe with how uncultured she was.”

“You did not!” The younger boy responded shocked. “That is worse than the rumors!”

“She started it. I can’t remember what she said exactly, but I remember that is was insulting.” Axel said bluntly. “Come on you had to have heard more than that!”

And so the boys continued talking for several hours until the sun was about to set. Their conversation slowly moved away from the crazy rumors about Axel to the actual goings on in the castle. They talked about ridiculous things the Knights had done, and about the hilarious acts people had committed at formal engagements such as balls. Somehow the conversations seemed to stay focused on Axel’s life despite the fact that both of them were imputing equal effort into the conversation.

“It’s getting dark.” Roxas said looking up at the sky to see that the sun had basically disappeared behind the trees to the West. “I need to get home Sora will be preparing dinner.”

“He is the brown haired one right?” Axel asked. He was pretty sure that Roxas’ other brothers name, the blond one, had to do with the weather. Stormy? Rainy? Cloudy? Something like that.

“Yeah.” The other boy responded surprised. 

“Surprised, Roxas?” Axel responded making sure to put emphasis on the other boy’s name. The blonds eyes locked onto Axels for a moment before he quickly looked away.  
“I didn’t think you would remember our names.” The blond said highly abashed. “I shouldn’t have just assumed that because you were a Prince you wouldn’t bother to remember who we were.”

This brought an unbidden thought to Axels mind. “Wait so you thought that I didn’t know your name this entire time?” 

“Yes.” The boy said looking down at his hands as he admitted it.

“Well, that’s fair I guess.” Axel replied. “I never did use your name did I?”

“I don’t think so.” The other answered.

“If it makes you feel any better I can’t remember your other brother’s name. What was it? Thundery? Stormy? Windy? It was weather related right?” the Prince questioned. Part of him was trying to lighten the mood while the other part of him seriously did not know the oldest siblings name, and it was bothering him to no end now that he had thought of it.  
At that Roxas burst out into unrestrained laughter. “It’s Cloud!” he said when he could get enough air into his lungs to say the words correctly.

“Cloud?” Axel mumbled, letting the name stir around in his mind. After a few seconds of contemplation he continued. “Why in the world would someone name their child after a cloud?”

“I don’t know.” Roxas replied as his laughter began to calm, though his grin never left his face. “Sora’s name means sky. I guess my parents just had a thing for atmosphere related names.”

“But what about you?” Axel wondered. He didn’t even notice he had voiced his opinion out loud until Roxas answered him.

“Well Sora is my older twin, just by a couple of minutes though. It’s kind of funny because my parents thought there was going to be one new baby not two. Imagine their surprise when I was born as well. So I think they just switched around the letters of his name and added an x. I never asked them about how I got my name though so I don’t know for sure, that is just what I believe.” Roxas’ voice began to grow softer the more he spoke and his eyes became more glassy with each word. 

Not knowing if the boy was going to cry or just blank out completely Axel tried to bring the conversation back to a happier topic.

“But you still have their store right? I mean you wouldn’t be here if I got taken away. So they are always with you, even still right?” Axel said fumbling over the words as he hurriedly tried to explain his thought process to the young boy sitting in front of him. The last thing that he wanted was for the waterworks to start, he was no good with tears.  
At this Roxas’ eyes snapped back into focused and stared directly into Axels. He did not look away from those green eyes as he spoke. “Yes and I have you to thank for that, in fact thanking you is why I came over to talk to you in the first place. Obviously the thank you did not goes as planned, but I really am grateful for the help you gave me and my family. Because of you that conman was found out and me and my brothers can still run our parents shop.”

At this Axel stepped in. “You know it was an obvious decision.” At that the blue eyes across from him widened in what Axel assumed was shock. “You wouldn’t have waited all day in order to tell such a lie in front of the King and Queen of your Kingdom. Therefore you deserved help, just as any citizen does.” 

Roxas took a moment to answer but when he did his voice was strong. “None the less thank you.” Looking at the sky once more he let out a sigh before standing up. “I really do have to leave now though, or Sora and Cloud will get nervous that I’m not home before dark.”

“Are the streets that dangerous?” Axel asked as he stood as well. As far as he was concerned the towns’ guards were completely up to par and there should be little to no crime in the town nearest to the castle.

“No, my brothers just have the habit of worrying over me, though they have no reason to.” The boy replied. Turning away from the Prince he threw his parting words over his shoulder. “It was nice to talk to you Prince Axel, perhaps one day we can talk again?”

“You bet it Blondie!” The Prince called after the retreating boy. Brushing off his pants Axel turned back towards the Castle already knowing that he would have to change before dinner that night. His thoughts however lingered on the intriguing boy he had just spent the afternoon with.

The book he brought with him lay forgotten on the grass.

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From that day on the boys had the habit of running into each other. That is to say that Axel found out that Roxas enjoyed coming to the field when his brother took over the shop for him in the afternoons. Armed with this knowledge Axel tried to worm his way out of the castle and to the field as often as he could, which was about every other day when he played his cards right.

Roxas was just as surprised as the other boy how easy it was to become friends with one another. They discovered they had a lot of things in common, like their love for Sea Salt Ice Cream, their enjoyment of camping, and they both had an inherent gift in Magic. Although magic was not widely practiced there were those that were able to utilize the art, the two aforementioned boys being those with magical power.

As such they spent many afternoons just playing around with their gifts. As Axel could afford a private tutor in the subject he was much more advanced than Roxas, who had been mainly self-taught, but the young boy was more than willing to learn from the Prince. The blond was a fast learner, nearly a prodigy, and by the time fall rolled around was almost at proficient at his gift as Axel.

As Roxas’ skill increased they began to simply play with their gifts, playing catch with a ball of light or racing to see who could make a flower grow quicker. For both boys they were days filled with peace and fun.

But then the weather began to get colder and it was harder and harder for Axel to make excuses to go out into the cold, despite being able to warm himself by creating fire to keep him warm. Eventually as winter fully set in the boys came to the sad agreement that it would be better if they stopped meeting so much, restraining their meetings to once a week. 

When the two were able to meet it was much different than when they had been meeting before, it seemed like they spent all of their time catching up on what the other person had done for the last week. Their meetings also grew shorter as it became hard to stay out too long in the cold, despite the boy’s handheld fires. Neither of the two were happy about the arrangement, missing the others company dearly during the week in-between these moments they managed to snatch in the snow.

And it was on one of these meeting that Prince Axel started to notice something. No one else he knew smiled as bright as Roxas. Or had eyes quite as blue. Or could make Axel laugh so hard. No one else tried to understand him like Roxas. No one else could make his heart hammer in his chest like Roxas. No one else but Roxas…

And that was it, everything came back to Roxas. Without even noticing it the boy had begun to fill the Princes every waking thought, until the days that they did not meet were like torture. And Prince Axel lived for the blonde’s smile, and laugh, and the way his eyes shone when he got excited.

Prince Axel, against all odds, was falling in love with Roxas. 

But he dared not tell him. And that day he once more watched Roxas turn his back on him to walk home, the words hanging heavy in Axels chest.


	2. Crashing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is the second chapter! I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it!  
> Disclaimer: I don’t own any of these characters. I wish I did though.

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Spring arrived as it always does, though it appeared to take its sweet time for a certain Prince and flower shop owner. Once more they were able to begin meeting on a more regular basis by which it can be meant that they met every other day. Before they knew it the field that they met in was covered in newly budded flowers, courtesy of the warmer weather.

“So what is the name of that flower?” Axel asked the blond by his side. Up until that point they had spent the day simply relaxing and talking about what they had done that morning.

“Which one?” Roxas asked as he scanned the field trying to figure out which flower his friend was referring to.

“That one, the red one.” The Prince replied pointing at a small cluster of red flowers.

“Oh those? Those are Carnations, a big hit this time of year actually.” Roxas replied. “In fact the other day a boy came in and bought a whole bouquet of them, though I fear he picked the wrong color.”

At this the boy seated beside him shot him a questioning look honestly confused about Roxas’ statement. “The wrong color? You can pick the wrong color of a flower?”

“You don’t know?!” Roxas asked shocked, half expecting the boy beside him to be joking. The look on Axels face however told him otherwise. “Weren’t you ever taught the language of flowers?”

Axel thought back, trying to remember if flowers were ever brought up in any of his lectures. “All I remember learning about flowers were other countries National flowers, though I doubt that that has anything to with what you are talking about.”

At this Roxas gave an exasperated sigh and fell backwards sprawling out on the ground. “Okay” he said as he tucked his arms behind his head “here is a brief rundown of what I mean. Each flower has a meaning and different colors of different flowers have different meanings. Take that red Carnation for example, that means admiration or something along the lines of your heart aching for someone. But a Yellow Carnation like the one the boy bought earlier means that you are disappointed in someone, or that you have been rejected.”

Turning his head to look Axel in the eyes he continued, “Of course, not everyone knows what each flower means so you should be okay not looking up each meaning each time you want to give someone a flower. But you are a Prince and when the day comes that you meet that special Princess I am sure she will know the meanings. If you want I can teach you their different meanings to avoid a future mishap. Consider it payment for all of the Magic you have taught me.”

“Thanks, I think I will take you up on that offer! So which one is that then?” Axel asked pointing to one that was only about a foot from where Roxas lay.

Turning his head once more the blond responded almost as quickly as he saw the plant. “That’s a Pink Convolvulus, and it means worth you gain from tender affection.”

“And that one?” Axel continues pointing to one relatively close to the last. 

“That one is Hyacinth, and in that color it means consistency. Now say it wasn’t blue but purple then it would mean something like please forgive me.” Looking back at Axel he asked, “Are you remembering these? I can go a bit slower.”

“No I’m alright. I’ve got them memorized.” He replied with a grin, which made an almost unnoticeable blush spring up on the blonde’s cheeks. If it weren’t as sunny out causing his skin to take on a light pink tone to begin with the blush would have been much easier for the Prince to spot. As it was, he never noticed it. 

“Okay then what were those flowers called?” The blond said quickly hoping that the Princes attention would return to the flowers and stray from his face. It was his luck that the Prince did look away and at the flowers he was about to identify. 

“The first one is a Pink Convolvulus, and the second is a Hyacinth right?” The Prince asked knowing full well that his answer was correct.

“You’re right. You really want to know this stuff don’t you?” Asked Roxas. “Or are you simply appeasing me?” he added as an afterthought.

“No! I really am interested! Like you said I am going to need to know this stuff one day and I would rather start learning now than later. This knowledge might just save me from insulting some important people.” The boy explained.

“Okay.” Roxas replied, accepting the boys reasoning without complaint. It made perfect sense to him after all. And as he continued to teach the boy beside him more about flowers he pointedly ignored the unsettling feeling in his stomach at the idea of the Prince with anyone else.

But the Prince was not his, and never would be he had to remind himself. He was going to marry a beautiful woman to carry on the bloodline and that was the end of that. Besides he didn’t love Roxas in the first place. So Roxas kept quiet and continued sneaking glances at Axel when he could. He could not help but marvel in the other man’s beauty even though he knew it was wrong. After all he was in love.

All too soon however the sun began to set and Roxas had to set off back towards home. He never mentioned his aching heart to the Prince.

Little did Roxas know Axel didn’t want to learn about the flowers for some foreign far off Princess he had never even met yet. He wanted to learn them so he could give them to Roxas one day. After all was there a better way to tell a man who runs a flower shop “I love you” than in the language of flowers?

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The next month passed quicker than the two of them would have liked. They spent their days in a very similar fashion to the first they spent together. Instead this time Roxas was the one teaching Axel, not the other way around.

“Okay,” the blonde boy said as he sat opposite Axel. “grow this seed next.” That day’s lesson was a combination of Magic and what Roxas was teaching the Prince. Before they had only persuaded the plants to grow bigger. Axel had never initiated a plants growth before and if he was being truthful he found it to be more difficult than simply encouraging its growth.

Roxas handed him a seed and Axel gently placed it in the small hole he had made in the dirt. Covering the seed he placed his hand over the spot in the dirt where the newly planted see lay. After a few moments of concentration he felt his magic spring to life, eager to help its master in his goal. Slowly but surely a small bit of the flower poked through the dirt, signally that the hardest part was over. A few moments later the flower sprung into full bloom.

“Okay now that you can tell which flower it is can you name it and tell me its meaning?” Roxas questioned him.

The answer came as quickly to Axel as if he was trying to remember his own name. “It’s a red Carnation and it means to have your heart ache for someone or admiration for them.”

“Right!” Roxas said excited. “You really did catch on to this quickly. Have you been studying without me?” The tone of his voice stayed light and joking allowing Axel to know he was only kidding with him.

The pair continued to grow flowers one by one until they were surrounded by them. This time it was Axel who noticed that the sunlight was no longer coming from above them, but was instead filtering through the trees. As the young Prince stood he grabbed the Carnation he had made bloom not that long ago.

“I guess it’s almost time to go then.” Roxas said although he made no move to leave his spot in the grass. Looking at the flower in Axels hand he couldn’t help but wonder whom it was for. “Is there someone special visiting the castle? Has someone finally caught the mighty Prince Axel’s affections? Or is that flower simply for your good health?”

Though Roxas tried to keep his voice light something that Axel couldn’t identify slipped out into his tone. Roxas, despite his own mental warning bells, could not help but feel jealous. He taught Axel the meaning of the flower in his hand; he even taught him how to grow it. Maybe if he hadn’t been there, hadn’t grown that flower with the beautiful boy in front of him, it wouldn’t be so hard for him to think that he would give it to another.

“Actually, someone has caught my eye.” Axel said as he offered a hand out to Roxas. Not wanting to seem rude Roxas grasped his hand. Once he was standing he fully expected Axel to let go of his hand, but he didn’t.

“Axel?” Roxas questioned. What had gotten into his friend? Was he nervous about telling the mysterious girl his affections? Did he want Roxas to give him some sort of encouraging speech? Roxas didn’t know if he could do that, could openly give the person he loved permission to be with another. It may seem selfish, but Roxas didn’t care. He loved the Prince too much.

“Roxas Strife, I need to tell you something.” The Prince said looking into the other boys eyes. An in that moment something clicked into place for Roxas. It wasn’t the way that the red haired males’ lips twitched into a slight smile. It wasn’t the way that his bright green eyes flickered in the setting sun. It wasn’t the way he shuffled just a half step closer to Roxas.

It was the way he said his name, like a whispered prayer. How had he never noticed before the way his name sounded coming from Axels lips? How long had he ignored the other boys’ feelings, too busy trying to hide his own?

“Axel?” Roxas asked again, this time his breath hitching as he did so.

“I- I – Damn it why is this so hard?!” The Prince said an agitated look crossing over his face. He was going to say this, and if it all went sour then at least he wouldn’t have this heavy rock sitting in his chest anymore. Taking in a large breath of air he just blurted it all out. 

“Look I’m in love with you okay, as ridiculous as it seems. But I haven’t been able to get you off of my mind for months and no one else makes me feel like you do. I can’t remember the last time when any sort of conversation doesn’t lead my mind straight back to you. And I know that it’s wrong, that my heart should beat for one of the beautiful women that my father has introduced me to but it doesn’t. And I can’t make it. And I don’t want to.” At this his other hand with the Carnation grasped in it, clasped hold of the same hand his other had was gripping like a lifeline.

“Do you feel anything like that at all?” he asked his eyes searching Roxas’ for some kind of answer. But before he was able to decipher what was hidden in those blue orbs his mind shut down.

Roxas had heard what he needed to hear, what he had been hoping and praying would happen for far too long. He didn’t know how long he stood there in shock, but as quickly as his brain registered what the boy he loved said he sprang into action. Closing the small difference between them in the blink of an eye he used his free hand to grasp the boys’ neck, his ponytail preventing most of the skin to skin contact. But it didn’t matter because a moment later his lips were on the other boys.

How had they gone so long without this? Without each other? Axel cared about nothing but the pressure of the younger boys lips on his. He quickly let go of the flower and Roxas’ hand in order to pull the boy closer to him. His hands found their way to Roxas’ hips and he dragged the boy closer to him sighing as their bodies collided.

It was messy and unsophisticated, but it was raw and full of all the things the two had left unsaid. Despite his best efforts Roxas let out a small moan onto the others lips prompting Axel to let out a deep chuckle. Oh God Roxas’ knees just buckled, and he is sure he would have fallen if it wasn’t for Axels tight grip in his waist. He swore he could have felt that laugh throughout the entirety of his body. Since when did Axel gain this control of him? He honestly didn’t know and didn’t care.

However Roxas wasn’t satisfied yet, not nearly. He pulled the boys head back down rejoining their lips. This time there was more care to the kiss at first, none of the rushed overenthusiasm. However it didn’t stay that way as both boys wanted, no not wanted, needed more. Roxas’ hand that was trapped between the two slid up to Axels shoulder and the boy tried to pull himself even closer to the male, though it seemed physically impossible at that point.

Axel broke his lips free from those of the blond holding onto him like a lifeline. He left a trail of peppered kisses up and down the boys neck, not able to get enough of the slight gasps the boy would make whenever he kissed certain patches of skin. Roxas could only take that particular set of teasing for so long however and started to reciprocate, giving the same treatment to the Prince.

It only took Roxas sucking on the juncture between Axel’s collar bone and neck for five seconds and the Prince pulled the blonds lips back to his. How could the other boy be so intoxicating?

“I win.” Roxas said as they parted to breathe a smile on his flushed face. “You kissed me first.”

At that Axel smirked. “Oh is it a competition now? Then I guess I will have to step my game up.”

Roxas stood on his toes bringing himself nearly equal to the Prince in height. “Do your worst.” The Blonde whispered in his ear as he leaned in further.  
“My pleasure, Blondie.”

Both boys remained in the field that night long after the sun set. Yet the worried glances and scolding’s rolled right off of them. Nothing could bring them down, not now that they had each other.

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“Axel, I really have to leave now.” Roxas said turning his head to see Axels face dangerously close to his own. The Prince however had no intention of letting the younger blond out of his grasp, tightening his arms around the young boys’ waist.

“Why?” Axel complained as he let his head fall to rest on Roxas’ shoulder. It was a Sunday and yesterday had been absolutely horrible for the Prince. It seemed that his father wanted his input on every decision he made in court, not allowing the young Prince to slack off at all. It was like he was preparing him for the throne already, but Axel was only 19 and had no intention of taking control of the Kingdom anytime soon. So if he wanted to relax with his boyfriend for a little longer the day after such an ordeal then he would.

Boyfriend. The word still seemed so foreign to the Prince. He had always assumed that he would be the boyfriend, not have one. However it was not a bad thought, in fact any thought of Roxas brought him such joy that he thought he may burst. It was nothing compared to what he felt when he feared his love was one sided. 

“Because it is getting darker and Sora is starting to get suspicious.” The boy Axels arms answered.

“Suspicious?” The Prince asked, tilting his head so he could get a better look at Roxas face.

Roxas let out a small sigh and answered. “He has noticed how much I have been leaving the town after my shift at the shop as over. I think before he just brushed it off as me wanting my own space after everything had happened. But lately…”

“Lately?” The Prince continued wanting to know if Sora was catching on to what they were doing here. That is to mean that Roxas was secretly dating the Prince of the Kingdom. From what Axel had heard of the boy he doubted that he could be so spot on, but Roxas had warned him that sometimes Sora had moments of genius that left even him shocked.

“He thinks that I’m seeing someone in secret, or at least I think so. He keeps asking if he should set another place at the dinner table, or asking me if I have something to tell him. And I keep responding that I don’t but he just gives me this damn knowing smile.” Roxas responded learning back into Axel.

“And this is a big problem?” Axel asked not knowing what to say about it. After all, so far it didn’t seem like that much of an issue.

“Yes!” The boy said pulling far enough away from Axel to turn around and look in his face. “We have been dating for three months Axel, and I haven’t told my brother a word. But I want to! He is my twin and this, meeting you and what we have, is the only thing I have ever kept from him. I feel so horrible when I look at him, knowing how often I have lied to him.”

“Then why don’t you tell him?” The Prince said slightly confused. Obviously not telling his brother was causing Roxas a lot on anguish and the last thing that he wanted was for him to feel so torn up about something.

“You- You don’t mind?” Roxas questioned tilting his head up slightly to look the taller boy in the eyes. 

“Of course I don’t. Just you have to make sure he doesn’t tell anyone alright? You know if I could I would make a Kingdom wide proclamation that you were my boyfriend.” At this Roxas’ made a displeased noise and narrowed his eyes. “But I would never do that because you don’t want all that attention.”

Axel didn’t even need to mention the fact that Roxas was a boy also put a damper on those plans. But they had agreed that they would jump that hurdle together if the time ever came to do so.

“Can I tell Cloud too?” Roxas added.

“Will he come after my blood for dating his darling younger brother?” Responded Axel.

After a moment of thought Roxas sighed. With a light frown on his face he answered with a quiet “Maybe.”

“Then you need to tell me when you plan to do this so the confrontation isn’t in the middle of a busy street. I guess you would have to bring him here…” Axel didn’t like the idea of someone else in their field but if it was Roxas’ brother he was willing to make an exception. “Also I don’t want to be wearing my best clothes for them only to get ruined.”

“You never wear your best clothes here.” Roxas reasoned.

“Touché.”

“So can I tell them tomorrow?” The blonde inquired a smile lighting up his face.

“Sure.” The red head responded with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Can I tell them tonight?” He wondered aloud, moving closer back towards Axel. 

“Whenever you want, blondie.” Axel answered wrapping his arms around the boy in his arms even more.

“Have I told you that I love you today?” Roxas questioned as he moved closer still to Axel. Teasingly close.

“Only once.” The Prince responded with a playful smile on his face.

“Well then I guess I don’t need to say it anymore.” Roxas said slipping out of Axels hold with practiced ease. The blond then hurried away but not before calling out over his shoulder. “See you tomorrow!”

The Prince just stood there dumbstruck. That little tease. Oh he was going to get it tomorrow.

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The next three weeks were pure bliss, well that was after Roxas told his family. Needless to say there had been a huge blow up in the Strife household. Cloud had flown off the handle and only the thick walls of the house had prevented the neighbors from hearing. He was absolutely convinced that Axel was only playing around with Roxas, sure that the Prince saw his brother as nothing but a toy which would eventually lose its importance. Eventually after three hours of arguing Roxas was able to get cloud to settle down and listen to what Roxas had to say.

It took another two hours for him to admit that maybe, maybe, the Prince loved his brother. But that didn’t mean that he deserved him. So although he would not prevent his brother from seeing the Prince he could not say he was happy about the relationship. And in all honesty that was more than Roxas had been expecting.

Sora was a whole other deal entirely, he had been ecstatic for his brother. As soon as Cloud had calmed down he had dragged Roxas to their shared room and demanded the eighteen year old spill absolutely everything. Not that Roxas minded it was nice to be able to talk to Sora about this after so long of keeping it bottled up.

And so life returned to normal, well at least for the most part. Roxas had to put up with his brothers teasing but that was a small price to pay for his brothers’ acceptance.

Everything between him and Axel was better than ever and the two boys couldn’t have been happier. They were young and in love.

And they were foolish thinking it would last forever.

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“Kairi! I have to tell you something but you have to swear on your life to never tell another soul!” Sora said as he sat across from Kairi on his bed. The two had been friends practically since they could walk, and after Riku left on a trading expedition two months ago, they became the only two of the trio left in town. Therefore Kairi became the only person outside his family Sora could really talk to.

“Sure, I won’t tell!” Kairi said ready to hear the gossip Sora was ready to produce. Some part of her doubted that he had heard something before she had, after all she worked in the Castle, but she was more than willing to humor him.

“You have to really mean it! This could get people in trouble! I shouldn’t even be telling you but if I don’t tell someone I am going to burst. So swear it!” The boy said highly serious.

Obliging him Kairi held her hand to her heart. “I swear on my life I will never tell another living soul what you are about to tell me.” That was she would never tell anyone, unless the gossip was just too good to pass up or if it was something everyone already knew. After all Sora was known to be out of the loop on many matters.

Sora’s eyes scanned the room for a second before he beckoned Kairi closer. She leaned in closer to him so that he could whisper in her ear.

“What?!” The young girl shrieked backing away from Sora to get a better look at his face.

“Shhhhh! You can’t tell anyone okay?!” The boy said his face going ghostly pale at her reaction. He never expected her to freak out like that. Her yell hadn’t been one of happiness, but one of revulsion. Oh by God what had he done?

Quickly composing herself Kairi schooled a large smile onto her face. “Sorry. I was just really shocked! But Roxas is happy right?” She asked feigning concern for the younger of the two siblings. She had always found Roxas to be well a bit odd, not that she would ever share that thought to Sora.

It was just, that boys’ magic wasn’t right. How could he have been so powerful so young? She remembers when they were younger once Roxas made thirteen balls of light when making only one had tired Kairi out. That kind of power was not natural, there had to be something wrong with him. And he had used that, whatever that unnatural thing was, to ensnare the Prince. She was sure of it.

“Yes! The happiest I have seen him in a while!” Sora responded joyfully glad to see that he had been wrong in his assumption that Kairi was disgusted. Of course she wasn’t she was Kairi. She was just shocked and Sora couldn’t blame her for that.

The rest of the night was filled with Kairi asking questions about the happy couple and Sora answering them more than readily.

Oh yes, Kairi would have the best gossip come Monday morning that the Castle had seen in a very long time.

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Axel was confused. It was just nearing noon when a guard barged in to the Castles library, making his tutor go silent immediately.

“State your business here.” The stern man said looking at the knight as if he left a bad taste in the man’s mouth. “If you couldn’t tell I am trying to educate the next ruler of our Kingdom.”

“The King and Queen demand the Princes audience in the Throne room at once.” The knight replied trying to catch his breath leading Axel to believe he had run all the way to the library.

“Did they say why?” Axel questioned as he slowly stood. He was in no rush as his parents were in the habit of making giant situations out of the tiniest of things. For all he knew they could merely want his opinion on what kind of cake he would prefer at the upcoming ball.

The knight replied not even looking Axel in the face instead his eyes were trained on the floor before him. “They said something about a young boy named Roxas and accusations against him, Your Highness.” 

Axel’s world stopped for a moment. His blood ran cold throughout his veins and his mouth became dryer than a desert. He felt his heart fall from the warm place he carried it in his chest to the bottom of his stomach leaving a chilling hole where it used to reside. He felt like he was going to be sick. No. Not his Roxas.

They must have found out. But how could they? They had been so, so, careful. What would they do now that they knew? A thousand situations ran through Axels head, too few of which had a positive outcome. He had to get to him. He had to save Roxas. Somehow.

He raced out of the room, pushing past the guard with a strength he didn’t know that he had possessed. Each time his feet hit the floor a shudder passed through his body as if he had gone hollow, only causing him to go faster. The castle rushed by him in a blur yet each second felt like an eternity. After far too long he was throwing open a door in the back part of the throne room.

And there he was, kneeling on the floor before him, his hands in shackles. Roxas looked, in a word, terrified. His eyes were large and Axel could see that around one eye a bruise was already starting to form.

“Axel!” The young boy cried out, his face looking even more pained at the sight of the Prince.

“Roxas!” He called out as he started towards the boy in front of him, but he never made it passed the raised Dias. Two knights grabbed him, one on either arm, and restrained him. Before he could put up much of a fight he heard a voice to his left. 

“That is quite enough Axel.” This mother intoned.

Looking around he noticed the full situation. On either side of Roxas were knights, two on each side, with their hands on their swords ready to attack if told to. There was also a small crowd at the grand doors of the Throne room, obviously all there for the show. Or so he thought until he saw a brown haired boy with Roxas’ face straining against the guards blocking anyone from entering.

“You have to let me in!” He kept calling out. “He’s my brother!”

“My son.” And Axels gaze fell then to his parents. Both of their gazes were stone cold and bordering on uncaring. They appeared to be judging him. They were judging him.  
“Let him go.” He said as he stood up straighter, ignoring the two men trying to keep a hold of him. “He has done nothing wrong.” At that the crowd which had been clamoring for entrance went quiet. Was the Prince sticking up for a lowly flower shop owner?

“And how do you know that my son?” The King asked his eyes fixed on Axels own.

At this Axels mouth went even dryer, which he had not believed possible. “Because, I know him, and I know what kind of a man he is. He would never break one of our kingdoms laws.”

“Oh but I think he has.” The Queen said, none of the usual kindness in her voice. “Bring forth the witness.”

Axel could hear a door open on the other side of the Dias and two distinct voices calling out the name, “Kairi!”

“Why?!” Axels head shot to look back at the door to see Sora once more straining against the guards. “Why would you do this?! I trusted you! I trusted you!”

“Silence!” The King called. The girl named Kairi was brought before the King, one guard at her side. As she knelled before his Parents Axel heard his father ask the young girl a question. “Do you have something you wish to report before this court?”

“I do Your Majesty.” The young girl replied no remorse in her voice.

“Then please report your claim to those before you.” The Queen declared picking up where her husband had left off.

“I believe that Roxas has put Prince Axel under and enchantment. A love spell to be more specific.” The girl said without raising her head from its bowed position. Although Axel could not see her face he could practically feel the smile gracing her lips through the tone of her voice.

“What?!” Several voices cried out echoing and resounding throughout the spacious room.

Sora could not believe what he was hearing. This was Kairi, his best friend Kairi. They only girl outside of his family that he had ever shared his secrets with, the only girl he trusted with them. She was like his sister, someone that was a cornerstone in his life. So what was she doing? Why was she telling such lies about Roxas? Had she always been like this? This was his entire fault, he should have never told Kairi anything. Why couldn’t he have kept his mouth shut until Riku came home? Riku would have never told, never.

Roxas on the other hand was floored. That little bitch. He had seen the way that she looked at him when they were younger and Roxas had hung out with the trio more often. She had been jealous then, oh so jealous of him and his magic. Kairi would never admit it, even to herself, but she had very little in the way in magical reserves. So whenever Roxas would perform a spell more powerful than hers she would send him this look. It was a look of pure unbridled rage sitting just below the surface. But still despite all of that, he never thought that she was capable of this. That she would throw him at the mercy of their King and Queen like this.

Axel was just as shocked, even though he did not know the young woman in front of him. How had she learned about Roxas and himself? He was so sure that no one had seen them. And why did she care about it in the least bit? Did she harbor unsaid feelings for the blond Strife boy? After all both brothers recognized her the moment they saw her face. But if so didn’t she know what kind of situation she was putting the younger of the two in?

“And your evidence of this?” The King asked, raging lingering in the tone of his voice.

Kairi was more than ready to answer this question; after all she had gotten all of the details from Sora. “I first saw them around fall of last year, though at the time I did not realize who they were. I simply saw two young men playing around with Magic in a field by the castle. I thought it was all harmless fun. Then I noticed even as it got colder they would still meet, though less frequently than before. Once Spring rolled around they were there in the field almost every day.” She took a break from her speech and bowed her head even farther.

And here comes the lie she thought to herself. “One day I saw the taller of the two males turn around and when he did so magic seemed to pour from the smaller one. Then the taller one turned around back towards the other boy and embraced them in his arms. Shocked I hurried away from the scene, not sure what I had just witnessed. From that day on they seemed much more affectionate with each other, at least from what I could see from my distance away.”

“And this is all of the evidence you can provide? Can you prove that those two people were my son and this boy Roxas?” The King inquired growing tired of this girls chattering. Was his son, or was he not, in a relationship with this male commoner?

“No Your Majesty, I have more evidence.” And although much can be said for Kairi’s actions there was one thing that she never wanted to do, and that was to bring Sora down with his brother. She knew that he would blame himself for what would happen to Roxas his punishment, which most likely would be imprisonment. And although the freak of nature deserved it Sora would never see it that way. He would slip into depression far too quickly, but she had to get that devil away from him. Roxas would only end up hurting Sora with his wicked powers. So she would protect him the best way she knew how.

“One day I saw Roxas coming back into town from the direction of the field and grew curious. I began to notice that he did so every day that I saw the two apparent lovers together. Knowing his brother Sora would know the truth I slipped a slight bit of truth powder into his drink. I know that it seems wrong but Roxas had been acting strangely and I was worried for the other person in that field if the blond I had been seeing there was Roxas!”

“Why my dear?” The Queen asked kindly as the girl seemed to be on the edge of tears. Roxas knew better though, that was how she sounded not before she was about to cry but when she was lying. She was lying through her pretty little teeth!

“Roxas has always been magically gifted. He has always been able to magically overpower just about everyone I ever met, and that was when he used it openly. We were only children then. I can’t begin to guess how powerful he has gotten since then. So I put some truth powder in Sora’s tea and he was more than willing to tell me what he had heard from his brother. Though I may have used a bit too much because I did not even need to prompt him to tell me anything.”

“And he told you that Roxas was, involved, with my son?” The King asked nearly choking on the word involved.

“Yes Your Highness! And I came directly here though I did not know who to tell, knowing you have more important things to do than listen to the likes of me. So I hoped that if I passed it along amongst the servants you would eventually hear of it. Thankfully it has been brought to your attention.”

“So boy, is this true?” The King asked leaving his throne and heading towards Roxas. “Did you cast a love spell on my son? Were you that overconfident in your abilities?”

“Father stop this at once!” Axel yelled across the room. All heads turned to look at the Prince, and the two hands on his arms tightened. “Leave him alone!”

“Oh, giving me orders now are we?” The King spat out. “I think not. Now I know my son would never act like this. Are you the cause of this as well boy?” He sneered, the last part directed towards the young blond boy at his feet.

“I put no such spell on him Your Majesty.” Roxas ground out. How had it come to this?

“Oh but I believe you did.” The King said. “My son has never acted as like this before, yet he springs to your defense like a well-trained dog. Why is that? I tell you why, magic. Now you have three seconds to reverse your hold over my son.”

“He has no hold over me Father!”

“One.”

“Please I know my brother! He wouldn’t do this!”

“Two.”

“Father listen to yourself! Please stop what you are doing!”

“Three.” The King paused for a moment to look at the boy whose eyes still shone in defiance. “Fine then, have it your way. Guards take him to the dungeons.”

“You can’t do this!” Axel screamed pulling tightly at the hands that restrained him. His magic wanted to lash out to the surface but everyone knew on the knights gloves were magic suppressing runes. As long as they held onto him he would not be able to do anything to help his Roxas.

“My people! This is what happens when you act out against the Crown. I am sad to say that there is only one way to release my son from this spell since the boy refuses to do it himself. At dawn in three days’ time there will be a hanging in the town square. Only then when he is dead will this evil man’s spell be broken!” And then the King stalked from the room the Queen hurrying behind him.

“No.” Kairi called out shocking everyone in the room. “He was only supposed to be imprisoned! He may be evil but he deserves to live!” He words however fell deaf on the Kings ears.

“Roxas!” Axel cried once more trying to get to the boy only a few short feet in front of him. He had to get to Roxas, then they could fight their way out. He knew they could.

But then there was a pressure on his neck and his whole world went black. The last thing he remembers is Roxas screaming out his name in agony.

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	3. Burning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that I'm not sorry.

The first day that Roxas was imprisoned was hell for not only him, but for Axel and Sora as well.

Roxas was quite honestly stuck in a state of shock during most of that time.

He kept running the past twenty-four hours through his head in a loop, unable to stop himself. He wished he could think of a time when he was feeling drowsy, maybe he had just nodded off and what he was experiencing was some horrible elaborate dream. But then he would remember the aching all around his eye where he knew a bruise was sure to be forming.

But it was just so weird to think of how normal the day had been going. He had opened the shop and a few customers had trickled in in the early morning hours. By about eleven three of the business’ regulars had dropped by, each leaving happy and satisfied. He remembers looking at the clock and being excited that he only had about another half hour left of work before he switched places with Sora. Cloud would normally help his younger brother with the afternoon crowd but he was out of town meeting up with a potential client.

So Roxas had planned to go in the office in the back of the shop and work on some of the books. He figured that it would be a nice thing to do seeing as he rarely helped with them anymore, spending more afternoons out with Axel then he did at home. But the Prince had told him the day before he had a day long study session that would last until at least six leaving Roxas with no other pressing matters to attend to.

So when Roxas heard the door chime he looked up from the spot he had been gazing at on the counter, ready to greet the next customer. However the person, nor people, at the door were not customers they were soldiers.

Roxas’ mind usually skips the next part. He didn’t want to remember what happened next, when the guards started to lay out accusations. In fact everything from that point on he didn’t want to remember. He just wanted the entire day to just disappear.

But by around midnight the shock began to fade away, only to be replaced with a deep seated depression. He knew then and there that the past day had truly happened and he was only ever going to live to see three more sunrises. After all there was no spell on Axel, and he couldn’t lift a spell from the other boy if it didn’t exist.

And he couldn’t pretend to lift the spell, it doesn’t work that way. Every time you cast magic, some of it lingers behind like a trace in the air. Now this does not linger forever, say if you duplicate a vase, one vase will not always have magic remaining around it. The normal grace period for this airborne magic is about twenty four hours and each type of magic leaves a different trace.

If he tried to release the ‘spell’ on Axel and used a different kind of Magic than that which makes up a love spell the King and Queen would surely know. After all they would most likely have several well versed Magicians there to make sure he didn’t put some kind of killing curse on the Prince. So pretending to remove the spell, if they would even let him try at that point, was a no go.

And he couldn’t escape, it just wasn’t possible. The shackles on his wrists were embellished with all kinds of runes, some he could identify and some he could not. The ones he could read though were far from encouraging. Strength Restraint, Magical Restraint. Words such as these were all along the inside of the cuffs, which were big enough to allow him to move in them but not big enough that he could slip his hands through. The outside had runes that pertained to only the actual cuffs themselves, increased durability being the one used most often.

But the thought that he would never get to do all of the things that he had planned and wanted left him feeling empty. By the time the sun rose bringing light to the world, the light inside of Roxas had died, leaving only embers in its place.

He never once let himself think of Axel, trying to keep the bright boy out of his thoughts. Thinking of Axel only made the pain worse, reminded him all that much more of what he had to lose. But in the end saving Axel from the same fate as him kept Roxas from going completely numb inside.

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Axel on the other hand was angry beyond all belief, and there was nothing he could do about it. 

When he had woken up he had a magic restraining bracelet on his wrist he couldn’t remove and a lock on his door keeping him in.

He had yelled and raved and ranted for hours but it did no good. No one would open the door, no matter what he said. In fact no one would even answer his questions, well that is to assume there was someone out there. Knowing his parents however there were probably a handful of guards out there all armed to the teeth in the event that he got out. Or that Roxas came to get him, either/or really.

So he tried another tactic, breaking things. He threw everything that he could get his hands. Priceless vase? Smashed. Mirror? Destroyed. Books? Thrown at the crystal figurines that once lined his nursery walls. Only tiny flakes of glass were left of such mementos.

Eventually he did tire himself out, collapsing on his bed, his belly still hot with rage and anguish. They still had him, his Roxas tied up in a cell somewhere below him. And he could do jack shit about it. What he needed was a plan, and ingenious plan to get the boy he loved out of jail. But he was too angry to think straight and every scenario that passed through his head ended horribly to say the least.

As the sun set there was a knock on the door asking him if he was calm enough now to allow them to open the door to pass him some dinner. And that was when it hit him, quick as lightning. How could he not have seen it before?

He just had to act calm and cool, like the ‘love spell’ was already fading with Roxas’ weakened state. And there was no doubt that he was weakened, he was in the dungeons after all. Then in a day or twos time he would sneak into the dungeons, break out Roxas and the two of them would escape. The plan wasn’t very elaborate yet but it would work, it had to.

He would save Roxas, if it was the last thing he did.

So he schooled his voice and answered that he was much calmer and quite hungry but that he would like to talk to his parents and apologize before he ate. The guard on the other side seemed pleased and said that he would fetch them both right away.

Phase one of Axels plan had been set into motion.

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That left Sora and he was scared, more frightened then he had ever been in his entire life.

His brother was in jail for a crime he obviously didn’t commit and it may or may not have been all Sora’s fault. He kept thinking back to that day that he had that late dinner with Kairi, had it only been a few days ago? They had gone over to Kairi’s for dinner because she said hated to eat alone and after she had moved out of her parents she had been doing it far too often. They had stuffed themselves on his cooking and he does remember that she made tea. 

But had there been anything weird about it? He wished that he could say that the taste had definitely been off and it was so obvious now that he had been slipped something. But he can’t remember if it was or if it was just another cup of tea.

What he does remember leaves him shaking in his boots in horror. He had been in the kitchen cooking lunch when he heard his brother starting to scream from the front of the house where the shop is. The tone of Roxas voice put him on edge immediately and he hurriedly left the kitchen to investigate. When he got to the living room, he heard a giant boom from the next room over. This was followed by several more loud breaking sounds and then near silence, the whole ordeal only lasting a few seconds. And it took him too long for him to get across the room and enter into the shop to intervene.

He finally opened the door and there was Roxas, arms being restrained by two guards with another two standing not far away. His brother looked more than a little worse for the wear and the guards looked down right enraged. He remembers demanding an answer from them, and all of them being silent, merely forcing Roxas forward out of their shop and into the street.

Roxas however was not going easily making as much of a ruckus as he could, that stopped however when a guard punched him in the face and reminded him that he only had to be brought to the castle and that the physical shape he had to be in when he arrived was not specified.

Since the trial Sora spent all day inside the shop cleaning up the mess that had been made there, running through in his head what may have happened. Had Roxas kicked over that vase or had someone been shoved into the table knocking it off balance?

It was all he could do to keep himself moving after all Cloud would be home soon and Sora had to explain that Roxas was never coming home again. He tried so hard to be strong, but then the door opened despite the closed sign and someone walked in.

“Hey Sora. Shit I didn’t think you and your two dunderhead brothers would let this place get this messed up when I was gone. It’s only been two months.”

And then all of Sora’s walls broke as he fell into the arms of the one friend that would never betray him.

Riku was home.

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Prince Axel seriously had to have a talk with the guards, it was simply too easy to sneak into the dungeons. Well actually, no he wouldn’t seeing as their incompetence was in his favor. It took him only twenty minutes to get from his room to right outside of Roxas cell.

It turns out that buttering up his parents did wonders for his freedom. He told them that when he woke up it was like a part of him had been ripped away and that he was angry and hurt and in pain. Which he actually wasn’t making up and so that part of his story was much more believable. Then he said it was as if it all started to fade away and he got his own mind back, he compared it to being in a fog and everything before had been so cloudy other than these random spurts of emotions he would feel, but even those fleeting feels didn’t seem to be his own.

Then, he told them, the fog lifted and he was himself again. He told them he felt sick at what he had done and begged for their forgiveness. They were all too happy to forgive him, simply wanting their son to go back the way that they remembered him. 

Yet, he said he still felt some emotions in him that were not his own, as per the norm of a love spell or so he heard, which his parents were confident would fade in three days’ time. After what seemed like forever they said they were going to sleep and they would have maids clean his room in the morning, stating that he too needed to rest. After all he must have been tired after having the spell on him for so long.

When he laid there in bed that night he couldn’t help but feel disgusted with himself. He had blatantly stated that Roxas had him under a spell and that left him feeling horrible. It left a disgusting taste in his mouth to know what he had said about the boy he loved. It ate him up inside, ate away at him like a fire. He just had to keep reminding himself that he was doing it for Roxas. Soon enough he would be able to get down to the dungeons and free the boy, and they could run away together.

The day after Roxas was imprisoned Axel was allowed free range of the castle, though he was forced to keep the magic binding bracelet on for the first day after which it was removed. His parents warned him however that they had very elite guards stationed in the dungeons and that he should pointedly ignore any desires that may spring up to save the other boy. 

He spent the next two days in normalcy, often thinking about different escape plans most of which fell through very quickly. Believe it or not there were a lot of variables to take into account and one little miscalculation could end in disaster. But Axel was sure he had the perfect plan figured out and Step One was already complete.

Step one was to reach Roxas.

“Roxas!” He silently called though the bars. The room was dark making it hard to see anything more than about a foot away from him. Only a moment later he heard a ruffling noise and then watched as the boy he loved slowly came into view. He looked like hell from what Axel could see. The boy had obviously not cleaned himself in three days, as such his hair was matted all over the place and dirt lingered over most of his exposed skin.

Axel didn’t care however, he was just glad to see that the other boy was alive.

“Axel?” The other boy questioned as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. And he truly couldn’t. Surely the King and Queen would have had Axel locked up more securely than this? How was he able to get there at all? Those thoughts quickly fled however as he took in the fact that his Prince really and truly was standing just outside the bars to his cell.

As fast as he legs could carry him he ran forward almost violently ramming into the bars that separated them. Axels arms reached through to grasp at the younger boy, reveling in holding his face in-between his hands again. After a moment though he retracted his hands as quickly as if he had been burned, leaving Roxas questioning his actions before he pulled out a single key from one of his pockets. Axel had stolen the key from the guard sleeping by the stairwell down to the stairs. They really needed to hire new guards.

“What are you-?” Roxas had time to question before Axel had slipped the key in the lock and pulled open the door. Then there were warm arms holding him close and a familiar smell engulfing him.

There were no more bars between them.

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They had a very simple plan Riku and Sora. Waking at nearly three in the morning the boys prepared for the day ahead of them, the day Roxas was supposed to be executed.  
Of course they had no intention of letting this happen.

Remaining silent the boys donned their dark clothes, mentally preparing themselves for what lay ahead. It was a simple plan really first they would infiltrate the Castle through the servants’ entrance where they had waited for Kairi to get off work several times.

Kairi, the girl who had betrayed them all. She-who-must-not-be-named. Over the past two days all of the boys had simply danced around saying her name, saying things like her and she instead. All of the boys including Cloud of course.

The boy had been furious when he had heard what happened and almost went right into the Castle that minute to break out Roxas. This is why he wasn’t in on their plan he was too angry to think clearly and would attack anyone he came across, getting them noticed rather quickly. They didn’t tell him either because if they told him what they were doing he wouldn’t let them go on their own.

Then again neither Riku nor Sora were unaffected by the rage they felt, for they felt the angry embers burn at their stomach every minute. The difference was that they were set on saving Roxas not avenging him.

The next step of the plan was to well, grab Roxas and run. After that they would come back and alert Cloud that they had saved Roxas. The final step was for Riku to take Roxas out of the town on one of the less used trading routes to one of the neighboring countries. Soon after Cloud and Sora would pack up the store and join him there, and all would be well again.

“Are you ready?” Riku asked quietly.

“Ready as I will ever be.” Sora answered before looking at the silver haired boy that stood beside him. Inhaling deeply Sora opened the door to his and Roxas shared room, more than ready to face the task ahead of him.

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“I am pretty sure this is a really bad plan Axel.” The blond said as he followed after the taller boy.

The other boy just tightened his grip on his hand. “Come on, we’ll be fine.”

“How in the world did you even come up with this? It is so simple and stupid!”

“Which is why it will work Blondie! No one would ever expect someone to try it.”

The plan was simple, just sneak out the back door. Literally. That was after they went after the head guard himself and forced him to release Roxas’ shackles. Obviously a very simple and easy plan where nothing could go wrong ever. 

Until it changed.

As the two boys rounded a corner they stopped short, not quite certain what they were staring at. Two figures dressed entirely in black seemed to be fighting with each other, using only their hands to communicate. Roxas looked at Axel to see the other boy looking at him with a face he was sure matched his own highly confused gaze. The two of them just stood there for a few moments looking back and forth between each other and the people in front of them when all of a sudden one of the boys stopped moving.

Sora had only looked to the side for a second when out of the corner of his eye he swore he saw other people. Snapping his head around he was shocked to see who stood before him. Was it really?

“Roxas?” The boy questioned not really believing his eyes.

“Sora?” Roxas questioned as well. The other boy did have Sora’s face, and hair, and voice. But surely he wasn’t here?

“It is you!” Sora said as he raced forward, latching onto Roxas like a leach. Roxas released his hand from Axel’s easily and wrapped them around his brother. He wanted to yell at him, ask him why in the world he would risk life and limb for him but he knew the answer. Because if Sora was in his place he would do the same thing for him.

“Nice to see your safe.” The other boy said as he walked closer. Holding his hand out to the Prince he said, “I’m Riku by the way. Nice to know you really do care about this pipsqueak.”

Axel just smiled taking the other boys hand in his own and shaking it. “Wouldn’t be saving him if I didn’t.”

“Assumed so.” The boy with silver hair replied. “So what was your guys plan anyway?”

And with that Axel explained to the other boys his totally ingenious, and 100% fool proof plan.

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At first the plan had gone well, really well. The boys were more than capable enough it seemed to get passed most of the security guards without being seen. And the ones that did see them were easily disposed of and knocked out. After the first guard was on the ground Roxas had enough sense to pick up his sword seeing as he was in fact the only on unarmed.

Axel of course had his magic now that he no longer had the magic restricting bracelet on, meaning he had no need for any sort of physical melee weapon. Sora on the other hand had brought with him a wicked pair of knives from the kitchen that he was a touch hesitant to use. But he had brought them because they were small, he knew how to use them, they would allow him to move quickly and without them he would be unable to protect Roxas or himself. Riku on the other hand had a sword that he had bought while off on his travels to protect himself on the road from thieves. It had not failed him yet and he had doubted it would that night.

And everything was fine until they got into the head guards room. After being woken up the man was very unwilling to participate in their little scheme. He struggled for a while before seeming to calm down, and though he was still shooting daggers at them with his eyes he was not physically lashing out at them. It took the four boys about ten minutes to trust that he would not scream the second they lifted the silencing charm to ask him where he kept his keys.

However the moment the spell was lifted he let them know where the keys were by screaming out their location. “THEY ARE IN THE SECOND DRAW ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE DESK!” Axel quickly reapplied the spell but it was obvious the man had accomplished what he wanted by the grin on his face. Seconds later the boys heard rustling in the rooms around them and knew that the other guards had been alerted of their presence. Quickly grabbing the ring of keys they found in the draw they ran out of his room, only to see guards practically tripping over each other to get out of the rooms to their left and right.

“We’ll take the left, Axel and Roxas take the right.” Riku said as he squared his shoulders lifting the sword in his hands.

“Got it.” Sora said taking a stand next to the other boy.

“Okay, I admit, this may have been a bad plan.” Axel said with worry, anger and guilt lacing his voice. 

“You think?” Roxas asked from his side, his eyes trained on the guards in front of them.

And then the guards charged before Axel could even open Roxas shackles.

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“I am very disappointed in you Axel.” The King said as the four boys were dragged into the throne room. The King and Queen were standing on the Dias looking as if they had just been awoken, which they surely had. “Bring our son forth.” 

The guards, never releasing him, dragged Axel out of the range of the other boys and to his parents. Although he was too weak to truly fight back his eyes showed all of the contempt and hatred that he felt within him.

“Why are you doing this?!” He yelled. “Why can’t you just let us all go?!”

“Nonsense.” His mother said looking at him with a sad smile. “If only you knew what you were saying. But this wretched spell is running your poor mind ragged.”

“There is no spell!” All of the boys who were chained cried out though not in unison.

The Kings eyebrows rose as he took in the picture before him. “Obviously we were wrong my dear.” He said causing a fire a hope to leap in the young men’s hearts. “This boy has even more people under his thumb than we thought. Look at those other boys just as willing to jump to his defense.”

A look of horrified realization passed of the Queens face and she barely managed to stifle a gasp. “What do we do?” She asked her husband worriedly.

“We help them of course, in the only way we can.” He replied taking her hand in his own.

“Father. Wait please just listen to me! I lied to you to try and break out Roxas. I want to be with him! No one is under his spell we all love him for who he is! Can’t you see that?” He cried out, no longer caring about any form of dignity he may have had left.

For a moment the look on the Kings face changed, but it was gone in the blink of an eye.

“Oh but my son, you will see how wrong you are very soon. Guards, bring the Magician forward.” The King decreed and as he asked the guards restraining Roxas brought him nearer to the Dias. They stooped about halfway between Axel and his parent and Sora and Riku.

Looking at one of the guards not keeping the boys in place the king called out, “Over here, and draw your sword boy.”

It became all too clear in that moment what he was arranging to occur and Axel’s heart froze. He forced his body to turn halfway around, watching as the man pulled out his sword and advanced on his lover. The words that escaped Axel’s mouth on their own would have turned the castle to rubble if they had the capacity to do such a thing, and his eyes would have turned the rubble to ash. He tried to fight off his captors but their grip remained firm.

Sora and Riku were fighting against the men that bound them as well, but like the other boys they were tired and weakened and far too easily restrained. They screamed out the blond boys name but they got no response to their calls. 

Roxas however had gone stock still and his eyes went wide and his jaw went slack. He looked up and met Axels gaze, begging, pleading without words for help. And Axel tried his best but he could not get free no matter how he struggled.

Axel just continue to scream the boy’s name as if it were the only word he knew.

And then the guard was there next to Roxas and his sword was above his head and he asked for the okay and Axels world stopped spinning, and his vocal cords stopped working and his mind went blank.

“Any last words?” The King asked a certain sneer in his voice.

For a moment it seemed like he wasn’t going to answer but then his mouth opened and Axel heard his voice for the last time. “Let’s meet again, in the next life.”  
Then without thinking, without considering anything, Axel replied. “Yeah. I’ll be waiting.”

And apparently his father gave the signal because the next thing Axel knows Roxas’ head is no longer on his shoulders. And Axel goes slack because he can’t process what is happening, what he is seeing. The guards let go of him thinking that now that the boy is dead the crisis is over but they are wrong.

Wrong.

Wrong.

Wrong.

Without Roxas everything is wrong.

Axel can feel his magic start to spiral out of control, feeding on rage he didn’t know could be so encompassing. Grief washes over him like a tidal wave, making his heart clench painfully and his vision to go black. He can’t breathe, it hurts too much, each inhale brings with it thousands of tiny daggers piercing his lungs. Thoughts race through his head at a thousand miles a minute, but each one contains something the same, each one is about Roxas.

He can’t hear anything over his agonized screams except the all too quick beating of his heart. Should a heart that feels dead be able to beat so fast? And then his world is set ablaze and everything is too much. It’s just too much. And he wants to die. He wants to burn in this heat and get it over with because how can he live without Roxas? Roxas was everything, and now what is there left?

And he wants them to burn with him, to burn the way he burns inside. His Mother and Father, the guards, all of them. They should burn. Everything should just burn.  
Then his magic responds setting the area around him on fire, and expanding quickly feeding off of his turbulent emotions. In minutes the Castle is engulfed in red flames flickering high into the morning sky. 

And so at the cost of his own life Prince Axel used his limit and made them burn.

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From that day on the country, and everyone’s lives changed forever. Sora and Riku had managed to escape the blazing Castle but just barely. For months Sora barely saw anyone and very few heard his voice. But over time the wound in his heart healed and once more the smile returned to his face. A few years later he too fell in love, the silver haired man who had faced death with him claiming his heart. They left town together and traveled all over the kingdoms as traders until they became too old to do so any longer. They say they have settled down back in their home town once more.

Cloud kept the store going for as long as he lived, never able to let the place go. He found love as well, settling down with a nice woman from the village. They had three children, who now all have children of their own. He passed away last march, happy and healthy and very much loved.

The Kingdom was handed over to the Kings cousin, who was equally fair and just. He and his wife only ruled for five years before handing the throne over to their eldest son. He has been ruling ever since as his wife never produced an heir, though they say he loves her regardless. So the throne will pass on to his sister’s son when he dies, though he still has a few years left in him so I wouldn’t worry.

And if by chance you ever do visit that town the flower field still exists. I would go and visit if I were you, because they say on warm summer days, or on chilly winter evenings you can still see the two lovers their basking in their love for each other. Eternally.

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“And that is the end.” The old woman said as she sat back in her rocking chair. The two boys on the floor looked at her with wide eyes and mouths gaping open.

“That can’t be it!” The older one said his eyes indignant.

“And why not?” The old woman asked, looking from one boy to the other, gauging their reactions.

“Because!” said the younger of the two. “It didn’t have a happy ending! All stories have happy endings.”

Her eyes gazed off for a moment before responding. “This one did not sadly, but it is a part of your country’s history, you would do well to remember it.”

“But Mrs. Kairi!” The older boy pleaded. “They should have had a happy ending!”

“I know.” She said smiling weakly. Oh did she know, more than almost anyone.

“Then why didn’t they!” The older of the two badgered on.

“That is simply the way it happened, and nothing can change that no matter what we wish.” Looking at the clock she sighed. “Its five o’clock now dears, both of your parents should be home by now, you best get going before they start to worry.”

“But the happy ending!” The younger boy called out.

“Not today.” The old woman relented. “But maybe someday.”

This seemed to placate the two boys she was babysitting as the questions stopped, but the peeved looks did not leave their faces. As a group the three of them left the small living room and headed towards the back door in the kitchen

“Hey Axel, wanna ask your Mom if you can sleep over tonight?” The blonde boy asked as he put on his shoes.

“Sure Rox! I mean we don’t have school tomorrow so she has to say yes.” The red haired young boy answered as he opened the door.

“Bye Mrs. Kairi!” Both boys stated in unison as they walked outside.

“Be careful!” She called out. “I know it’s only down the block but look out for each other would you?”

The boys just smiled and nodded their consent before shutting the door behind them. Sighing Kairi went back to her chair in the living room. Surrounding her were pictures of the new life she had built in a new town far from the one where she was born. She had gotten married and had children of her own, though her husband had passed last year and her children had their own lives to lead. However not matter how she wanted to at times she could never allow herself to leave the kingdom. Something always called for her to stay.

And maybe that, what had just happened, was the reason why. To tell those two boys that story. She laughed to herself at the thought, how ironic it would be if that were true. But still, she thought, maybe just maybe those two would take that story to heart.

Then they would get what their predecessors never did, a happily ever after.


End file.
